First Things First: This week’s post is about synchronicity. No, not the 1983 album by the group the Police, but the concept of synchronicity and how it sometimes occurs when you least expect it. So compelling is this latest case that I was inspired to write about the old-skool R&B/funk group who is at the center of it all, Con Funk Shun, who recently performed in the Washington, D.C. area to a large sold-out crowd at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre. They were also in last week’s broadcast of “Best of Soul Train” in an episode from early 1980. All of this was on the second anniversary of the week when they topped the Old-Skool Retro Top 40 chart in June of 2005 (1980 recap) with the only song they performed on both occasions, “Got To Be Enough.” I talk about that and more in this week’s Best Of Soul Train writeup.
In the Old-Skool section, I have a special report on the hip-hop classic “Planet Rock,” by Afrika Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force. This jam was in its third week at No. 1 on my 12-Inch Singles & Jams chart and making its initial entrance into my Retro Top 40 list during this last full week of June in 1982.
As for New-Skool, I discuss the latest happenings on Billboard’s pop (Hot 100) and R&B (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs) charts, where Rihanna and Fantasia hold court with their respective No. 1 singles. Rihanna’s “Umbrella” becomes the longest-running No. 1 pop single of 2007 so far. In Fantasia’s case, “When I See U” becomes only the fifth No. 1 of 2007 on the R&B chart. I have all of this and more so please continue reading and enjoy this week’s issue of OSMN&T.
In the Old-Skool section, I have a special report on the hip-hop classic “Planet Rock,” by Afrika Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force. This jam was in its third week at No. 1 on my 12-Inch Singles & Jams chart and making its initial entrance into my Retro Top 40 list during this last full week of June in 1982.
As for New-Skool, I discuss the latest happenings on Billboard’s pop (Hot 100) and R&B (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs) charts, where Rihanna and Fantasia hold court with their respective No. 1 singles. Rihanna’s “Umbrella” becomes the longest-running No. 1 pop single of 2007 so far. In Fantasia’s case, “When I See U” becomes only the fifth No. 1 of 2007 on the R&B chart. I have all of this and more so please continue reading and enjoy this week’s issue of OSMN&T.
NEW-SKOOL Music News:
What’s Happening In Billboard Today – Issue Date: July 7, 2007
Rihanna’s “UmBrella” sets High Mark for 2007! In the category of most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007, the longevity champ had been a tie between Maroon 5’s “Makes Me Wonder” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” (featuring Jay-Z) each with three weeks at the top. Last week, Rihanna pulled ahead of the pack and spent her fourth week at No. 1 making “Umbrella” the chart champ so far this year. Of course, for this statistic, I am only considering songs that moved to No. 1 in 2007. Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” spent seven weeks at No. 1 in 2007, but it began its No. 1 run in 2006. On the new chart released Thursday, “Umbrella” makes it five straight weeks as it holds at No. 1 again and moves even closer to Beyoncé’s 2007 total. Only “Party Like A Rockstar” by the Shop Boyz - at No. 2 for a fifth week - appears to be an immediate threat to “Umbrella.” Fergie’s fourth top-ten solo pop hit, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (at No. 3) has an outside chance to hit the top.
Fantasia’s “U” goes all the way! After eight weeks at No. 1 R&B, T-Pain’s “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” is finally displaced on the new list by former American Idol Fantasia’s latest single, “When I See U.” It is Fantasia’s first R&B No. 1 and the third-straight No. 1 on the R&B chart to use the letter “U” in its title, following T-Pain’s “Buy U A Drank” and “Lost Without U” by Robin Thicke, which holds the 2007 longevity record (11 No. 1 weeks). It is the first time in any Billboard chart’s history that three song titles containing the letter “U” for the word “You” have been consecutive chart-toppers. What’s even more ironic about this occasion is that the song that preceded all three of these titles at No. 1 was by Lloyd – a song simply titled “You.” Now, if only Lloyd had the foresight to call his hit, “U,” he might have been part of history.
“I Want Your Love” Hits No. 1 disco in 2007. No, I’m not caught in a time warp. Well, maybe I am, but the Chic classic No. 1 disco single reached No. 1 just a few weeks ago on Billboard’s disco chart. Okay, it was the same song, but it was a remake version by Jody Watley, not Chic’s original – which topped the disco chart in 1979. Jody released her version just a couple of months ago to clubs across the nation and it topped the Billboard Dance Club Play chart earlier this month. The Dance Club Play chart is what the Disco chart evolved into during the 1980s after disco was declared “dead” by the mainstream media. As far as I know, “I Want Your Love” may be one of the only songs to top Billboard’s Disco/Dance chart in two different versions. It’s certainly one of the fewest whose No. 1 appearances span 28 years and four months. Because the dance chart is not considered a high profile chart in Billboard, you won’t read much about this in other forums. Nevertheless, Jody Watley’s return to No. 1 on this list is something I shouldn’t have missed two weeks ago, considering how much I’ve reported on the show on which she first came to public awareness, Soul Train, and how much Chic coverage I’ve provided in this space.
“I Want Your Love” Hits No. 1 disco in 2007. No, I’m not caught in a time warp. Well, maybe I am, but the Chic classic No. 1 disco single reached No. 1 just a few weeks ago on Billboard’s disco chart. Okay, it was the same song, but it was a remake version by Jody Watley, not Chic’s original – which topped the disco chart in 1979. Jody released her version just a couple of months ago to clubs across the nation and it topped the Billboard Dance Club Play chart earlier this month. The Dance Club Play chart is what the Disco chart evolved into during the 1980s after disco was declared “dead” by the mainstream media. As far as I know, “I Want Your Love” may be one of the only songs to top Billboard’s Disco/Dance chart in two different versions. It’s certainly one of the fewest whose No. 1 appearances span 28 years and four months. Because the dance chart is not considered a high profile chart in Billboard, you won’t read much about this in other forums. Nevertheless, Jody Watley’s return to No. 1 on this list is something I shouldn’t have missed two weeks ago, considering how much I’ve reported on the show on which she first came to public awareness, Soul Train, and how much Chic coverage I’ve provided in this space.
Old-Skool Music News:
What Was Happening During Our Focus Year: June 20 - 26, 1982
No. 1 Across The Board. The song that was at No. 1 on my Retro Top 40 list this week in 1982 was also at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart that week: “Early In The Morning” by the Gap Band. There was no denying this jam’s popularity and it eventually wound up being Gap Band’s biggest single ever (pop or R&B). “Early In The Morning had an intense chart battle with the Dazz Band’s “Let It Whip” on the Billboard chart, as the two singles bounced in and out of the No. 1 for two months until their dominance ended in July. It’s ironic that “Let It Whip” was near the top of the charts this week in 1982, as I saw the Dazz Band perform that song live in Washington, DC just last week – on the 25th anniversary of the song’s departure from the No. 1 slot. About the group’s live performance, let’s just say that “Let It Whip” was the only song on their repertoire that got the crowd halfway interested. Their other early-‘80s hits were forgettable, as the audience’s reaction reflected. The Dazz Band was one of three acts performing that day, including Brick and Con Funk Shun (see “Best Of Soul Train” review below).
“Planet Rock” – The Summer of Afrika Bambaataa begins. For the week of June 26, 1982, “Planet Rock” by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force was ending its third week at No. 1 on my 12-Inch Singles & Jams chart and beginning its first week in the Retro Top 40 list (debuting at No. 22). The song was hip-hop at its best and it ushered in an era of high-tech, keyboard driven synthesized rap music that continued with other hits by Bambaataa and other techno-rap groups like Newcleus (“Jam On It”) and the Jonzun Crew (“Pack Jam”). To understand the significance of this classic, one has to understand “Planet Rock’s” genesis.
Afrika Bambaataa was born Kevin Donovan in the Bronx, New York. Various sources cite the year of his birth as either 1957 or 1960, but it’s clear the man was a young pioneer of rap during its earliest years (even before “Rapper’s Delight” had come out three years earlier). Bambaataa was a popular area DJ who had hosted block parties in Bronx neighborhoods even before rap’s introduction to the masses in 1979 by the Sugar Hill Gang classic. Bambaataa, a noted gang leader in the late-1970s, shed his gang life after a brief visit to the African continent. He converted his gang to a more positive, politically minded group of rappers called the Zulu Nation (a reference to a movie in which Zulu warriors were depicted attacking British troops – an image that no doubt inspired Bambaataa, who had always been afro centric in his views).
Bambaataa signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1982 and released his first single, “Jazzy Sensation” with the label. But it was “Planet Rock” that catapulted him to legendary status when it was released that June. “Planet Rock” mixed funk and rap and combined high-tech new beats with the old melody in Kraftwerk’s late-1970s single, “Trans-Europe Express.” Bambaataa thus created electro-funk, a genre of music that was popularized by some of the groups I mentioned in the first paragraph, and further epitomized by Planet Patrol’s “Play At Your Own Risk” in late 1982, and Bambaataa’s follow-up single, “Looking For The Perfect Beat” in early 1983. While those songs were not as big, they each reached No. 1 on my 12-Inch Singles & Jams chart at the height of this genre’s popularity. They also performed respectably in Billboard.
“Planet Rock” became the third true rap single to peak at No. 4 on the Billboard R&B singles chart, reaching that position in August 1982. Ironically, it matched the position of the other early classics of hip-hop: “Rapper’s Delight” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1979, and “The Breaks” by Kurtis Blow did the same in the summer of 1980. The next rap classic, “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, also peaked at No. 4 in 1982 (practically replacing “Planet Rock” in the top ten late that summer). Thus, it is safe to say that the first four classics of rap all peaked at No. 4 on the R&B chart, an irony that can hardly be ignored by trivia geeks like me.
After Bambaataa’s run of chart hits in 1982 and 1983, he continued producing music for other artists. His own last chart single was in 1986 (“Bambaataa’s Theme” – which peaked at No. 70). He has continued releasing recordings – mostly remixes of old catalog – into this decade, but none of his subsequent singles matched the success of the electronic, dance and hip-hop classic, “Planet Rock.”
The Best of Soul Train - 1980
Episodes 325 and 326:
Two weeks have transpired since my last issue, so two episodes of “Best Of Soul Train” have aired, and both happened to be consecutive episodes that aired back-to-back during the show’s original run in the 1979-80 season. Episode 325 featured two very successful R&B groups, the Spinners and Con Funk Shun. Episode 326 featured the Captain & Tennille and the Ritchie Family. Interestingly enough, both episodes featured guest dance performances by Soul Train dancers and a group of pop-locking dancers. And the episodes, being consecutively produced, featured a lot of repeat music. For example, the songs “Don’t Push It, Don’t Force It” by Leon Haywood, “And The Beat Goes On” by the Whispers, “Masterjam” by Rufus & Chaka, “Love Injection” by Trussel , and “Do That To Me One More Time” by The Captain & Tennille were heard on both episodes. I am surprised that the producers of “Best Of…” decided to air these episodes consecutively, considering for the first few months of this retro series, the show covered episodes from a variety of TV seasons. For the past two months, BOST has focused on 1979 and 1980, and now it has devolved into airing consecutive episodes featuring the same music.
Also noteworthy this week was the fact that only days after viewing the episode that featured Con Funk Shun, I had the pleasure of seeing the band perform live in Washington, DC (along with the Dazz Band and Brick) at the Carter Barron amphitheatre. Lead singers Michael Cooper and Felton Pilate were still with the group, and the one song that they sang on both Soul Train and live in concert last week was “Got To Be Enough.” This song was popular during the spring and early summer of 1980. In fact, in another case of irony (or sheer coincidence), “Got To Be Enough” was the song that was No. 1 on the OSMN&T Retro Top 40 chart exactly two years ago this week (during our recap of 1980). Con Funk Shun also performed “Spirit Of Love” – the title track from its 1980 album. The Soul Train performances were obviously lip-synched, however the group’s live performances were definitely, well…live! Last week, Con Funk Shun sounded just as good as it did 25 years ago, and the lead singers’ voices were as in-tune as ever. Michael Cooper playfully engaged the audience as he led the group into signature songs like “I’m Leaving Baby” from 1985. The band’s live repertoire also included 1978’s “Ffun,” their only No. 1 R&B single, “Shake And Dance With Me” – their second big R&B hit, and “Chase Me” – their third top-ten R&B charter. The low charting, but old-school favorite, “Straight From The Heart” was a crowd pleaser as well. “Straight From The Heart” happens to be the title track from their 1982 album, which was charting at this time during our focus year of 1982, although it never made my Retro Top 40 singles list. Aside from Cooper and Pilate, only one other original member of the seven-member band was with the group during the DC concert. Don Cornelius noted during the group’s Soul Train interview that this group from Vallejo, California was a very articulate bunch – a fact that also has not changed in 25 years. The band’s vibrant stage presence matched the quality of its music and both earned this group its rightful place as one of the most successful and memorable self-contained R&B/funk bands in the genre’s history.
The Spinners were the other performers in Episode 325 of Soul Train. The late-‘70s/early-‘80s version of this group was minus the talented former lead singer, Philippe Wynne, who had departed in 1977. Instead, his replacement John Edwards was leading the group through their 1980 classic, “Working My Way Back To You”/”Forgive Me Girl.” The group’s Soul Train performance was a throwback to the bands of the 1960s and ‘70s who – minus instruments – mostly relied on syncopated dance moves during their stage performances. Of course, the Spinners were from the 1960s and ‘70s, so it came natural to them. Ironically, for as successful as the Spinners were in the 1970s with Wynne at the helm, 1980 was the only year in which they produced two top-ten pop singles. The other hit (after “Working My Way…”) was “Cupid”/”I’ve Loved You For A Long Time” in the summer of ’80. The Spinners are also the only act in history to have two medleys reach the top ten during the same year. As an encore on Soul Train, the spinners did not perform “Cupid,” which apparently had not been released yet. Instead, they performed an earlier hit, “Body Language” from their 1979 album, “Dancin’ and Lovin’” which preceded the big No. 2 pop hit, “Working My Way Back To You.”
The marquee performers during the following week’s Episode 326 were a husband-and-wife duo who shared space with the Spinners in the top ten of the Hot 100 that spring, the Captain & Tennille. Their No. 1 pop single, “Do That To Me One More Time” was getting some R&B airplay (enough to make it to No. 58 on the Billboard Soul chart). This song had also been one played during the previous week’s episode. During the interview with Cornelius, Toni Tennille explained that it was the group’s first release with Neil Bogart’s Casablanca Records (after years with A&M). She also described the duo’s new sound as a more consistent, sensual sound after years of recording music that they wanted to record – a luxury that most artists would enjoy, but this one seemed to shun. Tennille also talked about her upcoming solo TV talk show, on which The Captain – Daryl Dragon – would assist her. I do not remember that show ever airing. In fact, after “Do That To Me…,” the Captain & Tennille never even reached the pop top 40 again. They were pretty much forgotten as the ‘80s progressed. They have to be the only group I can think of whose first (“Love Will Keep Us Together”) and last top-40 hits were No. 1 singles, with a bunch of top ten and top twenty hits in between.
As for the other performers from Episode 326, a disco trio named the Ritchie Family did the honors. Their two performances were “Put Your Feet To The Beat” – a song that failed to chart R&B but reached my Retro charts in 1980 – and “Give Me A Break.” Both of those recordings were from the 1980 movie, “Can’t Stop The Music,” featuring the Village People. Having recorded the songs (and the soundtrack) on Casablanca Records, it marked one of the many occasions in which “Soul Train” featured artists from the same label. Both the Captain & Tennille and the Ritchie Family failed to achieve any chart success with Casablanca Records after 1980. In fact, Casablanca Records was heading south around this time after the departure of the label’s biggest act, Donna Summer. The label’s last platinum single was another disco classic, “Funkytown,” by Lipps, Inc., which was also played on this episode of Soul Train. That song peaked at No. 1 pop and No. 2 R&B in the spring of ’80.
Also noteworthy this week was the fact that only days after viewing the episode that featured Con Funk Shun, I had the pleasure of seeing the band perform live in Washington, DC (along with the Dazz Band and Brick) at the Carter Barron amphitheatre. Lead singers Michael Cooper and Felton Pilate were still with the group, and the one song that they sang on both Soul Train and live in concert last week was “Got To Be Enough.” This song was popular during the spring and early summer of 1980. In fact, in another case of irony (or sheer coincidence), “Got To Be Enough” was the song that was No. 1 on the OSMN&T Retro Top 40 chart exactly two years ago this week (during our recap of 1980). Con Funk Shun also performed “Spirit Of Love” – the title track from its 1980 album. The Soul Train performances were obviously lip-synched, however the group’s live performances were definitely, well…live! Last week, Con Funk Shun sounded just as good as it did 25 years ago, and the lead singers’ voices were as in-tune as ever. Michael Cooper playfully engaged the audience as he led the group into signature songs like “I’m Leaving Baby” from 1985. The band’s live repertoire also included 1978’s “Ffun,” their only No. 1 R&B single, “Shake And Dance With Me” – their second big R&B hit, and “Chase Me” – their third top-ten R&B charter. The low charting, but old-school favorite, “Straight From The Heart” was a crowd pleaser as well. “Straight From The Heart” happens to be the title track from their 1982 album, which was charting at this time during our focus year of 1982, although it never made my Retro Top 40 singles list. Aside from Cooper and Pilate, only one other original member of the seven-member band was with the group during the DC concert. Don Cornelius noted during the group’s Soul Train interview that this group from Vallejo, California was a very articulate bunch – a fact that also has not changed in 25 years. The band’s vibrant stage presence matched the quality of its music and both earned this group its rightful place as one of the most successful and memorable self-contained R&B/funk bands in the genre’s history.
The Spinners were the other performers in Episode 325 of Soul Train. The late-‘70s/early-‘80s version of this group was minus the talented former lead singer, Philippe Wynne, who had departed in 1977. Instead, his replacement John Edwards was leading the group through their 1980 classic, “Working My Way Back To You”/”Forgive Me Girl.” The group’s Soul Train performance was a throwback to the bands of the 1960s and ‘70s who – minus instruments – mostly relied on syncopated dance moves during their stage performances. Of course, the Spinners were from the 1960s and ‘70s, so it came natural to them. Ironically, for as successful as the Spinners were in the 1970s with Wynne at the helm, 1980 was the only year in which they produced two top-ten pop singles. The other hit (after “Working My Way…”) was “Cupid”/”I’ve Loved You For A Long Time” in the summer of ’80. The Spinners are also the only act in history to have two medleys reach the top ten during the same year. As an encore on Soul Train, the spinners did not perform “Cupid,” which apparently had not been released yet. Instead, they performed an earlier hit, “Body Language” from their 1979 album, “Dancin’ and Lovin’” which preceded the big No. 2 pop hit, “Working My Way Back To You.”
The marquee performers during the following week’s Episode 326 were a husband-and-wife duo who shared space with the Spinners in the top ten of the Hot 100 that spring, the Captain & Tennille. Their No. 1 pop single, “Do That To Me One More Time” was getting some R&B airplay (enough to make it to No. 58 on the Billboard Soul chart). This song had also been one played during the previous week’s episode. During the interview with Cornelius, Toni Tennille explained that it was the group’s first release with Neil Bogart’s Casablanca Records (after years with A&M). She also described the duo’s new sound as a more consistent, sensual sound after years of recording music that they wanted to record – a luxury that most artists would enjoy, but this one seemed to shun. Tennille also talked about her upcoming solo TV talk show, on which The Captain – Daryl Dragon – would assist her. I do not remember that show ever airing. In fact, after “Do That To Me…,” the Captain & Tennille never even reached the pop top 40 again. They were pretty much forgotten as the ‘80s progressed. They have to be the only group I can think of whose first (“Love Will Keep Us Together”) and last top-40 hits were No. 1 singles, with a bunch of top ten and top twenty hits in between.
As for the other performers from Episode 326, a disco trio named the Ritchie Family did the honors. Their two performances were “Put Your Feet To The Beat” – a song that failed to chart R&B but reached my Retro charts in 1980 – and “Give Me A Break.” Both of those recordings were from the 1980 movie, “Can’t Stop The Music,” featuring the Village People. Having recorded the songs (and the soundtrack) on Casablanca Records, it marked one of the many occasions in which “Soul Train” featured artists from the same label. Both the Captain & Tennille and the Ritchie Family failed to achieve any chart success with Casablanca Records after 1980. In fact, Casablanca Records was heading south around this time after the departure of the label’s biggest act, Donna Summer. The label’s last platinum single was another disco classic, “Funkytown,” by Lipps, Inc., which was also played on this episode of Soul Train. That song peaked at No. 1 pop and No. 2 R&B in the spring of ’80.
Other music heard during these episodes included “You Are My Love” by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, “Every Generation” by Ronnie Laws and “Got To Love Somebody” by Sister Sledge (all big Retro Top 40 hits on OSMN&T from two years ago during the 1980 recap). The Soul Train Scramble Board answers for the two shows were Bessie Smith and Maynard Jackson, respectively.
